Chapter 13

"Hello, Vancouver city…" Susan sang while stepping down the stairs. Emily and I are behind Susan. The city greeted us with good weather and a lot of sunshine.

"I have planned the whole stay here. Hiking, boating, shopping…" Emily started but was immediately interrupted by our workaholic Susan.

"Nope! We are here for work, not holidays, girl."

Emily curled her lips to one side. "Will you stop telling me what to do and what not! God Susan, you behave like a mother hen." She said, throwing her hands in the air, clearly showing her irritation towards Susan.

I glanced at Emily and Susan, sighed and walked slowly without any of them noticing me. Our Limousine was waiting for us, upon seeing me the driver opened the door for me. I passed him a smile but before settling inside I looked at my friends who were fighting like Tom and Jerry. I chuckled imagining Susan as Tom and Emily as Jerry.

Ah! My imagination sometimes made me imagine the weirdest things. "Hey Girls, if your world war three has finished, join me or I would be leaving without you both." I squealed at both of them.

They both gave me a pointed look but stopped their bickering. Walked towards the limousine and settled down inside it calmly. The driver started the car and the journey started. I looked out the window, the beautiful scenery of the city was passing through my eyes. A small smile came to my lips though I travel a lot but Vancouver was always the city I felt connected with and why not! My mom was basically from here. Even though Dad was settled in Boston, USA and mom was happy there but she never forgot her city. The city of Vancouver.

The beautiful maple trees around here turned red in this season which increased the beauty of this city ten fold. It looked as if a red haired angel had casted a spell here. The sunlight brightens the red leaves making it look like gold. The joy of passing through this beautiful scenery could make anyone fall in love with the place.

Smiling, I touched the pendant on my neck. Whenever I feel nervous I wear it, it makes me feel closer to my mom.

I wish you would have been here mom. I just wish you would have been with me today…

Alas! The emptiness I felt without my mom was like an empty box. My parcel of happiness was never fully filled, yes, I have dad and now, Gabe but still the place of mom left the emptiness in my life which could never be filled by anyone. I brushed the tear that gathered in the corner of my eye with my little finger.

Clutching the pendant tightly in my fist I made a promise to my mother that I would make her proud today.

I promise to try with everything inside me for this show to win. Because it was not about my name only but my grandfather's name as well, he used to be one of the most famous jewellery designers of his time. I traced the design on my pendant which was designed by my grandfather.

"I will make you proud grandpa." I whispered and once again looked outside the window ignoring my two hot-headed friends who were busy ripping each other's hair out of their skulls. Finally, our journey came to an end.

The driver opened the door for us as we descended the car. Emily being Emily put on her goggles like a pro. "Girls, let's show everyone that future winners of this show have arrived here…"

I smiled and mirrored her gesture of putting my own goggles on, Susan following my gesticulations.

When we walked inside and told the receptionist that we were here for the jewellery show Contest they informed the manager about it. After some time two people arrived. One man named Joshua and a woman named Katie. Both wearing formal dress, a blue suit with white shirt.

Joshua was a well built six feet tall man. He didn't look like someone who worked a nine to five job but more like a bodybuilder or a wrestler while Katie was a beautiful brunette with black hair and hazel eyes. She looked like a perfect model out of some fashion magazine and I felt envious seeing her perfect body. The size zero figure made me hide my big hips with my Chanel handbag. I looked at them when the woman started speaking.

"Good Evening miss…" She checked the Ipad, "Aurora Kings and Susan Kate, right?"

I smiled. "Yes," The girl offered her hand to me. I accepted and we shook our hands then she offered it to Susan and Emily likewise.

I offered my hand to Joshua, he glanced at it and then at my face. He didn't offer his hand and it felt really deplorable when my hand was still hung in the air.

"It's nice meeting you Mr Joshua," I mumbled to fill in the gap in communication and the gap was from his side not mine. He gave me a curt nod but still didn't accept the offered hand. Clearing my throat I lowered it.

Katie smiled. "Please don't be offended. Mr Joshua has germophobia, he never shakes hands with anyone."

"Oh!" I muttered while Susan and Emily nodded.

"You are assigned to the presidential suite. Our contest will start tomorrow, all other contestants have arrived and are taking rest In their particular rooms. Please enjoy the services of the hotel but be ready till eight in the morning with your designs in the auditorium. There you will be introduced to the judges."

We all nodded at the information. "Best of luck for the show…" She said flashing her perfectly white teeth as she handed me the electronic key.

"Your luggage has already been delivered to your suite."

"Thank you.." Susan said as they walked away.

I widened my eyes in excitement. "We are going to rock this show…" I sang, clapping my hands softly and arching my brows.

Emily blew me a kiss. "We're gonna do that, but now let's go to our suite."

We walked to the elevator. "What figure she has!" I remarked as we entered the elevator.

"Who?" Susan asked, arching brow as she raised her head from her mobile.

"Katie, she has the figure of a perfect model. I was envious of her body. Wish I could be slim like her."

"This again…" Emily commented.

"Girl, you have a perfect body. Look at yourself, you are stuffed in the right places. A man would die to be with you. Just look at those sexy curves…" she touched my butt area, nodding at the mirror for me to look at.

"But Gabe asked me to do a little bit of dieting…"

"Aurora Kings! If you took that man's name in front of me one more time I promise I will go back to Dallas and kick him in the shins!" Susan barked.

"Susan please. Don't say that again, he is right because I feel the same way about my body." I tried to reason with her but she just shook her head.

"I pray to god that you break up with him." Susan muttered and that was not acceptable to me. She was a dear friend. I love her but that doesn't give her the right to speak anything about my relationship with Gabe.

"Stop it Susan! I snapped at her. " and don't ever say that again. You have no idea how much I love him, so please just don't judge my relationship on your terms."

I said and walked out of the elevator as soon as it pinged leaving both Emily and Susan behind me. I opened the door with the electric key and walked inside. A bellboy was placing our luggage there.

"Good evening mademoiselle," he greeted me in his slightly French accent. I sighed and pulled out a hundred Canadian dollar bill to tip him.

He smiled. "Thank You, mademoiselle," he said politely and walked out of the room.

I checked my cell phone and found two Missed calls from Gabe while many messages from Dad and Mrs Dollan asking whether I was fine or not.

I fidgeted my fingers in confusion of whether to call Gabe or not. I left the breath I was holding, hit the call and ended it immediately.

"Uff." I bit my lower lip in anticipation.

Should I make a phone call? I didn't know what to do? I huffed in anger.

"Arh..! " I stomped my foot in anger at not being able to decide whether to make the phone call or not?

I cleared my throat and straightened my shoulders when I heard Susan and Emily's squabbling.

"Aurora, I am so sorry baby, I didn't mean it that way." She rested her hand on my shoulder. "It's just that I am worried about you!"

I jerked my shoulder and moved towards the window. "Then don't worry about me Susan. I know you love me but you have to accept that Gabe is a part of my life now and I won't hear anything against him."

"Alright!" Susan raised her hands in the air. "I agree with you, I won't interfere in your love life any more. I promise babe! But don't be angry with me, you are my only family, Aurora. Please forgive me."

Arh! Why is it so hard to be angry with her? Pity on me, I can't even pretend to be mad at her.

I turned around and smiled. "Okay." I accepted her apology as she hugged me.

"Hey, don't leave me alone!" Emily said as she walked up to us and joined us.

"Okay, it's getting awkward now!" Susan said, breaking our hug. "You know what, let's take a long shower and I'll order pizza for us."

I nodded. "I needed the shower badly." I told her and went to my room to take a shower while Emily went to hers and Susan ordered Pizzas on the hotel intercom.

I threw my handbag on the bed and got out of my dress. Taking my IPod with me I went inside the bathroom to take a long refreshing shower.

Meanwhile….

"Pizza is here, Susan!" Emily called out as she checked the trolley of food delivered to their suite.

Susan walked out of her room, dressed up in a short satin nightie. "Where is Aurora?" She asked Emily.

"In her room." Emily replied, picking a can of cold drink and opening it with a pop sound.

"I am going to call her."

"Wait, I am coming with you," Emily said while taking a sip from the cold drink can and walking beside Susan.

"Aurora…" Susan called Aurora but she was nowhere in the room.

"She is in the bathroom, taking a shower," Emily told her. Susan nodded and turned to leave but her eyes went to Aurora's blinking phone. Thinking it might be Mrs Dollan or Ethan but when he picked the phone from the bed and checked caller ID.

She thinned her lips, "This man!" She muttered under her breath in anger.

The phone stopped blinking and ten message notifications appeared on screen. All of them from Gabriel.

Emily checked the screen and gasped when she saw Susan unlocking Aurora's phone.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emily asked bewildered.

Susan raised her eyes, putting her hand in Emily's mouth and she stopped her from speaking. "Shh! Don't make a sound."

Emily nodded. Susan lowered her hand. "Why are you opening her message box and how did you know her lock?" Emily asked when Susan unlocked the pin code of Aurora's phone.

"Susan I am telling you again, don't intervene…"

Susan glared at her. "Shut up, I want to see what he said to my babe!"

Susan snooped the message box and was shocked to see Gabe's messages.

There were a total Ten messages from him, which read: Aurora, how could you leave without asking me?

Second message read: Aurora, stop wasting your time and come back.

And the third one read: baby, please come back, your Gabe is missing you. At least pick up my calls...Goddamnit Aurora… I want you to come back here."

Fourth one read : Aurora, it's okay. If you want to stay there. I will always be with you and please don't be disheartened If you lose the contest. Don't forget I am always with you my love..

Even Emily was shocked. The man was clearly trying to discourage Aurora. "See what I was talking about!" Susan hissed.

"But you don't know who is standing in your way, you SOB!" She muttered while deleting the messages and calling history.

" Susan, Have you gone mad? What if Aurora comes to know about it…"

Susan glanced at her way. "Who Is going to tell her, you?" She asked Emily who shook her head.

"Of course not! But we should not get involved in her matters."

.

"Em! That man is practically breaking her from inside. Just read these messages again and tell me what he was doing." Susan whispered.

Emily only sighed and watched Susan Blocking Gabe's number and adding another number.

"Whose number is this?"

"One of my old numbers but I don't use it anymore." Susan told her and added that number as Gabe's in Aurora's phonebook and deleted his original number from Aurora's phone. She knew Aurora inside and out. She couldn't remember phone numbers of anyone and completely relied on her phone book..

Susan smirked as she used her IT skills and blocked the number from her email as well. "Serve in hell, SOB!" Susan smirked, blocking him from every social media account of Aurora.

"Now it's perfect!"

"Trust me I don't like what you are doing but I don't like Gabe In Aurora's life anymore, '' Emily said while Susan smirked.

But they both gasped when the door of the bathroom burst open suddenly making Susan and Emily stiffened in fear of getting caught.